Memorial vase retaining brackets



Sept. 4, 1962 R. J. RETTMAN MEMORIAL VASE RETAINING BRACKETS Filed Dec. 21, 1959 Fig.l.

Fitz

INVENTOR Rober James Rails? (7 A'I Unite Sttes Patent of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 21, 1959, Ser. No. 861,031 4 Claims. (Cl. 5022) My invention relates to retaining brackets and more particularly, to a device for holding a vase-retaining ring to a rock memorial slab.

In accordance with the prior act, of which I am aware, granite memorial slabs have been used having a hole therein and a bronze ring at the outside or the top side of the slab opposite the hole. The said ring is built so that, in cooperation with the vase, it will hold the vase in the upright position or alternatively, the vase may be turned upside down and allowed to extend downward into the hole through the granite slab. It has been found necessary to fasten the said ring to granite slab so that it does not work loose. The slabs are frequently placed level or flush with the surface of the gorund, and mowing machines are run over the slabs and over the said retaining rings. Cum-bersome means may be employed to attempt to Wedge the said rings into the granite hole; however, these are found to be impractical because of the difficulty of placement and because of inherent irregularities in the hole itself. Bolts extending through the slab to the far side with cleats on the end of them, may be employed to fasten the said ring to the slab. However, Where such bolts are employed, they will tend to work loose as a result of the action of the mowing machines and other movement over the top of the retaining ring. It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide an improved device for holding a vase on a marble or granite slab.

It is another object of my invention to provide a device for holding a vase-retaining ring onto a memorial rock slab.

It is an ancillary object of my invention to provide a new and useful article of manufacture. The novel features that I consider characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a showing partially in prosepctive and partially in cross section of apparatus in accordance with the preferred embodiment of my invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the lower ring employed in the preferred embodiment of my invention.

In accordance with my invention, I provide a ring 3 preferably of bronze, adapted to cooperate with a vase, so as to hold the said vase erect when it is inserted into the ring 3 and rotated slightly, or alternatively, to hold the vase in a downward position when the vase is dropped through the ring 3 and the bottom of the vase falls into the grooves provided in the ring 3 and is then rotated slightly. The said retaining ring 3 is placed opposite a hole 5 extending through a memorial stone 7, preferably of granite. Below the retaining ring 3 and extending through the hole 5, I provide a cylindrical vessel 9 having a bottom therein and having no top, which is greater in diameter than the inside diameter of said retaining ring 3. The vessel 9 preferably is made of plastic and has a hole 11 in the bottom thereof to allow drainage of water there-through. The vessel 19 is flanged outward with a lip 13 around the mouth thereof adjacent the retaining ring 3. Long bolts 15 are provided, which are threaded at each end. A threaded opening is provided in the said retaining ring 3 extending perpendicular to the plane of the ring 3 at three different locations around the said ring 3, said locations being an equal distance apart. The bolts 15 at the upper end have nuts 14 thereon a short distance from their end, and the said bolts 15 extend through the lip 13 of the plastic container into the retaining ring 3. The said nuts 14 are then tightened to hold the retaining ring 3 and the vessel lip 13 together.

The said bolts 15 are longer than the distance through the rock slab 7. Below the rock slab 7 I provide an anchoring ring 17 of bronze having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the said vessel 9, extending around said vessel 9. Holes 18 are provided through the said anchoring ring 17 opposite holes in the retaining ring 17, and the said bolts 15 extend there-through, having nuts 14 on the said bolts 15 on the bottom side of said lower ring 17 so as to tighten said lower ring 17 toward said upper ring 3. At three points around said ring 17, namely, at points opposite to said bolts 15, I provide extensions of said ring or projections 12 which extend outward in a plane of said ring 17 for a distance greater than the width of said anchoring ring 17 At the end of said projections 12 which extend in the plane of said ring 17, I provide gripping studs 16 which comprise pieces of metal forming an integral part with sm'd ring 17 and said projections 12, the said studs 16 being small and extending upward to said stone 7.

Since memorial stones are normally rough and unfinished on their under side, it has been found that anchoring ring 17 by itself does not provide a solid grip. However, by means of the gripping studs 16 at the end of the ring projections 12, I obtain a grip on the stone 7 at a point opposite the retaining bolts 15. Thus, when the retaining bolts 15 are tightened they draw the anchoring ring 17 and its gripping studs 16 tight against the lower side of the block of stone 7, and they draw the retaining ring 3, above, tight against the upper side of the stone 7. When these studs 16 are tight, the internal tension of the device and the tension caused by slightly bending the projections 12 prevents the bolts 15 from working loose as a result of vibration. The vase-retaining ring 3 will therefore be held tightly in position and repeated vibrations from above, such as mowing over the device, will not cause it to work loose.

Although I have shown and described specific embodiments of my invention, I am aware that other modifications thereof are possible; my invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior act and the spirit of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination: a rectangular block of stone, a first side of said stone being smooth and the opposite side being rough, said stone having a hole there-through from said first side to said opposite side, a vase holding bracket on said first side adjacent said hole, said bracket being adapted to engage and hold the base of a vase, a cup of rigid material connected to said bracket and extending through said 'hole, a ring surrounding said cup on said opposite side, and three projections, evenly spaced, extending outward from said ring parallel to the surface of said opposite side and having gripping studs extending from the end of said projections toward said stone a distance of at least one quarter inch, three threaded connecting rods extending from a point in the interior of said bracket through said ring at points on said ring opposite said projections, and nuts on the ends of said rods on the outside of said ring tightening said bracket and said ring toward said stone, said bracket and said studs being in contact with said stone.

2. In combination: a rectangular block of stone, said stone having a hole there-through, a vase holding bracket adjacent said hole, said bracket being adapted to engage and hold the base of a vase, a cup of rigid material connected to said bracket and extending through said hole, a ring surrounding said cup 'on the opposite side of said stone from said bracket, and three projections, evenly spaced, extending outward from said ring parallel to the surface of said stone and having gripping studs extending from the end of said projections toward said stone a distance of at least one quarter inch, three threaded con necting rods extending from a point in the interior of said bracket through said ring at points on said ring opposite said projections, and nuts on the ends of said rods on the outside of said ring tightening said bracket toward said ring, said bracket and said studs being in contact with said stone.

3. In combination: a rectangular block of stone, said stone having a hole there-through, a vase holding bracket on one side of said stone adjacent said hole, said bracket being adapted to engage and hold the base of a vase, a cup of rigid material material being open at the top and having a small hole in the bottom thereof connected to said bracket and extending through said hole, a ring surrounding said cup on the opposite side of said stone from the side on which said bracket is located, and three projections, evenly spaced, extending outward from said ring parallel to the surface of said stone and having gripping studs extending from the end of said projections toward said stone a distance of at least one quarter inch, three threaded connecting rods connected to said bracket and extending from a point in the interior of said bracket through said ring at points on said ring opposite said projections, and nuts on the ends of said rods on the side of said ring opposite said stone applying pressure on said ring toward said bracket, said bracket and said studs being in contact with said stone.

4. In combination: a rectangular block of memorial stone, said stone having a hole there-through, a vase holding bracket on one side of said stone adjacent said hole, said bracket being adapted to engage and hold the base of a vase, a ring of rigid material and of inside diameter equal to the inside diameter of said bracket located on the opposite side of said stone from the side on which said bracket is located, and three projections, evenly spaced, extending outward from said ring parallel to the surface of said stone and having gripping studs extending from the end of each of said projections toward said stone a distance of at least one quarter inch, three threaded connecting rods connected to said bracket said rods extending into threaded holes extending partially through said bracket, and extending from said bracket through said ring at points on said ring opposite said projections, and nuts on the ends of said rods on the side of said ring opposite said stone applying pressure on said ring toward said bracket, said bracket and said studs being in contact with said stone.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 503,818 Watt Aug. 22, 1893 916,568 Lewers Mar. 30, 1909 2,102,339 Upton Dec. 14, 1937 2,276,749 Vanderveer Mar. 17, 1942 2,329,158 Gill Sept. 7, 1943 2,810,990 Wright Oct. 29, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 166,726 Germany Dec. 29, 1905 

